Complementary and Alternative Medicine 1
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Running head: COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 1 Complementary and Alternative Medicine The History, Current Prevalence, and Future Projections Melissa de Nijs A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation in the Honors Program Liberty University Spring 2013 COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2 Acceptance of Senior Honors Thesis This Senior Honors Thesis is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Honors Program of Liberty University. ______________________________ David Sharp, M.D. Thesis Chair ______________________________ Gary Isaacs, Ph.D. Committee Member ______________________________ Jim Nutter, D.A. Committee Member ______________________________ Brenda Ayres, Ph.D. Honors Director ______________________________ Date COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 3 Abstract Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been used for centuries. Common methods include chiropractic, diet, yoga, and prayer. Though some methods have proven more successful than others, many have insufficient data to support claims of effectiveness. A survey of medical professionals involving twenty-seven CAM methods was conducted in order to evaluate modern perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine. They were asked their experience with CAM, their personal opinion regarding its effectiveness, and how likely they would be to recommend a CAM treatment to a patient. It has been hypothesized that more CAM treatments will be utilized in the future. This is most likely due to rising health care costs, greater individual exploration, and more data to support CAM claims. COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 4 Complementary and Alternative Medicine The History, Current Prevalence, and Future Projections Introduction Definition Complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) is defined as anything not allopathic. It involves a focus on holistic, individual, and preventative health care (Abbott, 2011). Whereas alternative medicine is used in place of prescriptions or traditional medicine, complementary medicine is used in addition to other treatments. Treatment methods are considered complementary or alternative because there is insufficient data to prove their safety or effectiveness (Barnes, 2008). This type of care is “based on the patient’s needs and must be individualized to match the patient’s state, predicament, and preferences with consideration of the best available evidence” (Gatterman, 2001). Common Practices The main divisions of CAM are whole medical systems, mind-body medicine, biologically based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, and energy medicine (Abbott, 2011). Most commonly used methods of complementary and alternative medicine include natural products, chiropractic care, diet, massage, meditation, and yoga. Most frequently used to treat more minor issues, CAM is often utilized for neck, back, or joint pains. It is also common in treatment of anxiety, depression, or symptom relief in other diseases. Less frequently, CAM treatments are used for treatment of insomnia, stress, stomach illnesses, hypertension, fibromyalgia, diabetes, or coronary heart disease. In younger individuals, CAM is more popular for COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 5 treating back or neck pains, anxiety, ADHD, ADD, insomnia, asthma, or other allergies (Barnes, 2008). Current Prevalence In 1998, the United States population is estimated to have spent between $36 billion and $47 billion on complementary and alternative medicine treatments (Abbott, 2011). In the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, approximately one out of every three adults claimed to use a form of complementary or alternative medicine (Barnes, 2004). Though many individuals utilize CAM, physicians are often hesitant to recommend these treatments due to lack of sufficient scientific evidence (Cottingham, 2013). In the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, it was estimated that four out of every ten American adults had tried a complementary or alternative treatment that year. Mostly used for health promotion rather than disease treatment, in the survey, 49% of users treated themselves, 38% received CAM treatment, and 14% treated others. Though there is still not yet enough research to support the effectiveness of CAM, 77% of medical students agreed that a doctor with complementary and alternative medicine knowledge was better than one without that information (Abbott, 2011). Approximately 83 million American adults claimed to use complementary and alternative medicine in 2011, spending nearly $34 billion (Bains, 2011). Younger people are more likely to use CAM practices, or find information regarding alternative treatments (Bennett, 2009). COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 6 Personal Opinions and Accounts Chiropractor With his own practice in Richmond, Virginia, Chiropractor Aaron Winston, D.C., has been practicing for thirteen years. He entered the field of chiropractic medicine because of his own experiences. Between the ages of twelve and eighteen, he had terrible migraines almost every day. He tried potions, pills, powders, and almost every method, but nothing worked. When Winston visited a chiropractor, all his migraines were gone within three visits. His entire life, he absolutely hated school. But with such results, he decided to attend chiropractic school for over eight years. When asked to describe the current trend of complementary and alternative medicine, Winston commented on how far ahead the rest of the world is in this area. A proponent of natural remedies, Winston believes that Americans should follow the trends of other countries in using CAM. He claims that “Americans take medications like M&Ms” (Winston, 2012). The symptoms are not relieved and the causes are not cured. Winston offers an example that if a person is holding a pen and opens their hand, the pen will still fall to the ground even if that individual does not believe in gravity. Similarly, he says that a person does not have to believe in chiropractic or CAM in order for it to work. Dr. Winston believes the public has a positive perception regarding CAM, with many people commenting that they “didn’t know that was an option.” In his chiropractic practice, many of his patients are nurses, because they are aware of what the chemical reactions in drugs do to a person’s body. COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 7 Winston believes the most utilized methods of complementary and alternative medicine are chiropractic and naturopathy, which are not clearly defined, but based on each individual state or school. In regard to the future, however, he believes that CAM use will depend on politics and the state of socialized medicine. More and more, people are trying to be or stay healthy instead of waiting until they are sick to fix the problem. If a person has teeth, he needs a dentist. If he has a spine, he needs a chiropractor. If a person uses a part of his body, it is vital that he maintains it. The most effective method of health care is prevention. Instead of waiting for something to break, a person should maintain his health, eat healthy and stay physically fit. Throughout his career as a chiropractor, Dr. Winston has witnessed the efficacy of CAM, especially chiropractic. One woman had been plagued with migraines for nearly fifty years. She went to the chiropractor and within just a few visits, her migraines were completely gone. Another instance involved Dr. Winston in a delivery room. When the baby was born, it was not breathing. Winston stepped in and gently pressed the neck bone back into place, returning the baby to a healthy state. Had Winston not been there, he could only imagine what harmful chemicals would have been used or what surgeries would have been done to that tiny newborn. Finally, he described a two and one-half year old child with seizures. Every night, she stopped breathing up to forty separate times. Doctors were planning on severing her corpus callosum, the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Frantically searching for any possible alternative, the child’s father went to Dr. Winston the morning of the surgery. Winston was unsure what he could do, but he agreed to try. He made a couple tiny adjustments on the girl and the following night, the child stopped breathing only eight times the entire night. The next COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 8 night, she stopped breathing only once. After that, all of the child’s breathing problems and seizures completely stopped. It is personal experiences like these that support Dr. Winston’s firm belief in complementary and alternative medicine (Winston, 2012). Registered Nurse Registered Nurse Catherine Hamlet has been practicing for five years. She describes the trend of complementary and alternative medicine use as slow, like a large ship turning. She believes there is not sufficient research available regarding CAM. Unlike prescription drugs or medicine, CAM is not controllable, making it difficult to measure results. Hamlet believes that after chiropractic, use of probiotics is one of the most popular immerging practices involving complementary treatment. She comments that many times, nurses pair antibiotics with probiotics. Humor, imagery, and music are other popular treatments. However, though CAM appears to be gaining popularity, Hamlet claims that 99% of her patients still request prescription drugs. Hamlet says that from her nursing experience, the public is jumping on board regarding complementary and